Olympic champion, Walewska prioritized family and retired at 28; remember trajectory

Walewska Oliveira, former player of the Brazilian Volleyball Team, Minas and Praia Clube, died this Thursday, 21, at the age of 43. A successful athlete, she became an Olympic champion in the sport and decided to prioritize her family when she retired at the age of 28.

Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Walewska began his career at Minas, where he played between 1995 and 1998 —the year in which she was called up for the first time to play for the Brazilian team, under the command of the coach Bernardinho.

She won gold at the Beijing Games in 2008 and bronze at the Sydney Games in 2000. Her last competition with Brazil was the Champions Cup in 2013, in which she also took home the gold medal.

Read too:Coach José Roberto Guimarães mourns Walewska’s death

Furthermore, she won gold at the Grand Prix in 2004, 2006 and 2008, and at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg in 1999. The athlete was five times champion of the Super League, lifted three cups at the Copa Brasil, the Super Cup, the Troféu Super Volleyball, from the Campeonato Paulista and two from the Campeonato Mineiro.

In an interview with ESPN Brasil, given this year, Walewska spoke about the period in which she decided to prioritize her family. According to UOL, the center was only 28 years old when she decided to retire, almost permanently, from the Brazilian Volleyball Team.

“I had to make a decision, and my family was the priority. I decided to leave the team to continue exploring volleyball outside of Brazil, which was what fueled me at the time.“, she said. She decided not to participate in the London Olympic Games in 2012.

“I exchanged the 2012 medal for my family. A player doesn’t just live on sport, he lives on post-career, on the relationships you managed to cultivate during your career too. If not, I would be today with two Olympic medals and alone. Is it worth it?“, he asked in an interview with the program Ball of the Time.

Despite this, she continued playing volleyball until she was 42 years old. Walewska defended Rexona/Ades, São Caetano, Sirio Perugia from Italy, Murcia from Spain, Zarechie from Russia, Vôlei Futuro, Vôlei Amil, Minas, Osasco and Praia Clube, where she ended her career in 2022.

The athlete’s death was reported by the Site Melhor do Vôlei page and confirmed by Itatiaia, which contacted people close to the family. Walewska’s cause of death has not yet been released.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS OF WALEWSKA OLIVEIRA: